Water-elevator.



No..723.42'7.l PATENTED MAR. 24, 1903v f I.-B. VANGLE'AVE. WATERELEVATOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAB. 20, 1902. N0 MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1i W esa by yTit/. mi 'v @Hm-gays PATENTBD MAR. 24,1903.

F. B. VAN GLEAVE'.

WATER BLEVATOB.. Anmoumn FILED un. zo. i902.

No. 723,427. j

l0 HDDEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FRANKLIN BLVAN CLEAVE, OF ECHO, OREGON.

.WATER-ELEVATOR.

SPECIFICATION 'forming pare or Letters Patent No. 723,427, dated March24,1903. Application led March 20, 1902, Serial No. 99,203. (No model.)

To d/ZZ whom it may concern: y

-Be it known thatUI, lFRANKLIN B. VAN CLEAVE, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Echo, in the county of Umatilla and State ofOregon,'have invented a new and useful Water-Elevator, of which thefollowing is aspecification..

This invention relates generally to waterelevators, and particularly tothat class employing a bucket or barrelY ,adaptedF to be raised byhorse-power for supplying large quantities of water from a well of anydepth for household and irigating purposes.

The novelty of the present invention resides more particularly in themeans for holding the bucket in an` approximately vertical positionwhile being raised and for tilting and discharging itsA contents when`it reaches a predetermined level. Itis essential indevices of thischaracter thatfthe bucket locking and tripping mechanism shall operateautomatically and with certainty'not only to preclude possibility offailure of the bucket t-o elevate the Water, but also to render "unnecessary the employment of an attendant' for keeping the said parts inproper operative relation with regard to the bucket. Inl this apparatusthe force of gravity is' reliedtnponV for actuating the bucket-lockingmechanism and an eccentric pivoting of the bucket upon its supports foreffecting, with the output of the minimum resistance, the tilting of thebucket when it has reached the desired level... With the above and otherobjects in View, as will appear as the nature of the invention is betterunderstood, the same consists in the novel construction and combinationof parts of a water-elevator, as will be hereinafter fully described andclaimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specilication,andin which like numerals of reference indicate correspondingl In thedrawings, Figure 1 is a View in perspective of a water-elevatorembodying the essential features of this invention. Fig. 2 is a view inside elevation, partly in section. Fig. 3 is alview in rear elevation ofa bucket and its trip and guiding mechanism.

Referring to the drawings, l designates an ordinary platform which mayconstitute the covering of the wellmouth and provided with an openingthrough which to permit passage of the bucket or barrel 2, as clearlyshown in Figs. 1 and 2. Extending vertically downward through theplatform are a pair of tracks 3, which will reach into the water of thewell, the upper ends of the tracks being projected above the platform tothe required height andare stayed by inclined braces 4, the upper endsof the tracks being connected by a cross-brace 5, from which is supendeda pulley 6 to be engaged by hoisting-rope 7, one end of which isconnected inv any suitable manner with the bucket-carrying frame 8, andthe other end being adapted in the usual manner for connection with theharness of ananimal or with the drum of a windlass.

`Thebucket 2 has an opening in its bottom normally closed by a valve 9.nected with the bucket at a point to the rear of a vertical centralplane thereof are two plates 10, carrying each a pintle or projectionl1l' to be engaged by the lower ends of straps l2, carried'by thebucket-carrying frame, which latter comprises two side pieces 13,connected near their upper ends by two crosspieces 14, between which isdisposed a bracebar'l., the terminals of which are secured to theinnerlfaces ot' the side pieces, the crest of the brace-bar beingrigidly secured to a crossbrace 16, connecting the upper terminals ofthe side pieces. The side pieces each carry two guides 17, which areadapted to work upon the tracks 3, as clearly shown invFig. l, therebyto guide the bucket both in its ascent and in its descent. The sidepieces are connected intermediate of Ytheir'ends and braced againstspreading by a band 18, connected at its terminals to the side piecesand bent to pass around the back of the bucket, as clearly shown inFigs. l and 2. As will be seen by Suitablyconreference to the last-named figure, the bucket inclines rearward or away from itsdischarging-point, and by reason of the fact that the bulk of the waterin the bucket will be disposed toward the front thereof the normaltendency of the bucket will be to tilt forward, and to obviate this agravity locking device is employed, which comprises an arm 19, pivotedbetween a pair of ears 20, carried by one of the cross-pieces 14, thesaid arm being provided near its free terminal with a shoulder 2l tointerlock with the inner portion of the bucket near its rim, and therebypositively to hold it against tripping until the arm is raised. As willbe obvious, the means for releasing the arm must be operable only in onedirection--thatis,when the bucket is raisedand to effect this a trigger22 is provided, which is approximately L-shaped and is connected withthe arm 19 by a pivot 23. Upon this pivot is also mounted one end of alink 24, the other end of which is connected through a loop or rod 25with the outer end of a bracket 26, the inner end of which is rigidlysecured to the cross-brace 16 intermediate of its ends. The long arm 23of the trigger projects outward beyond the free end of the arm 22, and ashort arm 27 is provided with an iuturned toe 28, adapted to engage thelink 24E, and thus hold the long arm in the position shown in Fig. 2. Bypreference the free end of the arm 19 is provided with acounterweight'29, thereby to insure the proper cooperation of itslocking-shoulder 2l with the edge of the bucket.

Arranged upon the platform at the rear of the bucket and supportedby twouprights 30 is a curved trigger-tripping plate 3l, with which the freeend of the longer arm of the trigger contacts on both movements of thebucket. On the downward movement of the bucket, when the arm 19 islocked in engagement with the rim of the bucket, contact between the armof the trigger and the plate 3l will merely cause the trigger to move onits fulcrum; but upon upward movement of the bucket contact with theplate will exert downward pressure upon the said longer arm, causing itto rock upon its pivot, the downward movement of the free arm of thetrigger,

' through the medium of the toe 28, being transmitted to the link 24,which latter will then tend to resume a horizontal position and in sodoing will throw the arm 19 upward, and thus release the bucket. Byreason of the fact, as before pointed out, that the connection betweenthe bucket and the supporting-frame is eccentric, thereby throwing thebulk of the water forward of the pivotal point as soon as the arm 19 isthrown out of engagement with the bucket it will immediately tilt, andin order to guide the bucket gradually after being tilted and whilebeing further raised, thus to cause it to discharge its contents in theproper manner,

two curved guides 32 are provided, which are rigidly supported by across-bar 33, secured to the platform 1, these guides being engaged bylaterally-extending arms 34E, carried by the front of the bucket. Theseguides subserve the further and all-important function of automaticbucket-setting means-that is to say, when the bucket begins to descendafter having discharged its contents the arms 34 by traveling downwardupon the guides force the bucket rearward,and thus to a position to beengaged by the locking-shoulder of the arm 19, it being observed byreference to Fig. 2 that the guides 32 project inward ou both sidesbeyond the outer edge of the bucket or that portion facing thedischarge. To prevent the bucket from turning bottom side up, should itbe raised too high above the guides, a stop is provided in the nature ofa chain or other flexible connection 35, one end of which is suitablysecured to the bucket near its mouth and the other end to the crossbrace16.

It will be seen from the foregoing description that although thewater-elevator of this invention is exceedingly simple of constructionit will be found thoroughly efficient and practical in use for thepurpose designed, and, further, by reason of the automatic and positivemanner in which the bucket locking and resetting mechanisms operate thatthe attendance of an operator at the well will be entirely obviated.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. lu a water elevator, the combination with an eccentrically-supportedbucket and locking mechanism operating normally to hold the bucketagainst tilting, of means operating automatically to release the lockingmechanism when the bucket reaches a predetermined level, and guidescoacting with the bucket and operating on its upward movement to causegradual tilting thereof and on its downward movement to bring the bucketinto rengagemeut with the locking mechanism.

2. In a water-elevator, a frame guided for vertical movement, a bucketeccentrically supported thereby, gravity-controlled bucketlockingmechanism carried by the frame, means disposed in the path of thelocking mechanism to trip the same when the bucket reaches apredetermined level, and guides coacting with the bucket for effectinggradual tilting thereof as it moves upward and its automatic rengagementwith the locking mechanism on its downward movement.

3. In a water-elevator, a frame guided for vertical movement, a bucketeccentrically supported thereby, gravity-controlled bucketlockingmechanism carried by the frame, means disposed in the path of thelocking mechanism to trip the same when the bucket 1 'eaches apredetermined level, and guides In testimony that I claim the foregoingas projecting inward beyond the path of movemy own I have hereto affixedmy signature in ment of the sides of the bucket and coacting thepresenceof two Witnesses.

therewith for effecting gradual tilting there- FRANKLIN B. VAN CLEAVE. 5of on upward movement and its automatic re- Witnesses:

engagement with the locking mechanism on MAX MOREHEAD,

downward movement. J AMES B. PERRY.

